


I'm Here

by templarsandhoes



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Serious Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-06-01 02:11:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6496729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/templarsandhoes/pseuds/templarsandhoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alexandra Chapel should have listened to Preston when he said that going out to fight mirelurks with just Dogmeat was a bad idea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm Here

Preston Garvey wasn’t a big fan of Alexandra going out in the Commonwealth with only her dog. Dogmeat was tough, and saved both of their lives more than once. However, Preston still held his breath as she walked out of The Castle with Dogmeat in tow. He shook his head, chuckling to himself slightly. This woman was more than capable of taking out a few mirelurks near the fort. He felt his nerves calming, and busied himself with the seemingly endless tasks that the Castle offered him. He organized several caravans of supplies, helped organize a schedule of responsibilities; he even took over Radio Freedom for a few minutes. Preston finished reloading one of the artillery cannons on the wall when he heard Dogmeat’s frantic barking. His heart dropped into his stomach as he ran to meet the dog at the open gate.

“Where’s Alie?” he asked himself, his worst fears coming to life as Dogmeat ran directly to him. He grabbed a musket one of the Minutemen offered him. “Dogmeat, where is she?” Dogmeat barked, then turned back towards the entrance. Preston followed him, trying his hardest to keep up. His adrenaline powered his body as he sprinted after him. A few mirelurks scattered the streets, and he knew this was the general area that had the problem Alie was after. His vision was slightly blurred as he frantically searched the streets for any sign of her. Then he ducked instinctively when he heard gunshots. “Hell,” he muttered as he clicked the safety off of his gun. He plucked off the raiders one by one, Dogmeat dragging a few of them out into the street so Preston could get a clear shot. After the last few raiders fell, Dogmeat ran into a semi-open building, his barking softer, but just as frantic. Moments like this, Preston was glad Dogmeat was a talkative dog. As he ran over to him, he spotted the iconic blue of Alie’s vault suit. All of him wanted to run over there, but he found himself frozen in place. Her smile flashed before his eyes, his knees weakening. Lucky for him, she spoke up softly before he could panic anymore.

“Preston?” she said, her voice strained. Before she knew it, he was kneeling down beside her, his palms running over her hair.

“I’m here, babe. I’m here,” he assured her, eyes wandering for the worst of her injuries.

“My head hurts,” she quietly said, closing her eyes. He kissed her forehead softly, his eyes watering knowing the most important person in his life was in pain. He gathered her pack and weapons as best he could while still keeping a hand on her. Dogmeat whined, nudging her foot with his nose. “Thanks for getting Preston, boy,” she said, the slightest of smiles appearing on her face. Preston picked her up carefully, his grip only as hard as it needed to be.

“Let’s get you back to the Castle, alright? It’s not that far, babe, I promise.” She nodded into his shoulder. He pressed his lips to her head again, thankful she was stubborn enough to survive through nearly anything. “Do you remember what happened?” he asked as he started walking.

“Raiders…” she started. She shut her eyes tight, her face scrunched up a little. “Grenade caught me off guard. Then I think I hit a wall,” she said. He rubbed her side as best he could.

“Thank God you’re so tough,” he said under his breath, and he felt her chuckle.

“Oh, shit. Preston put me down. Now,” she said, her face suddenly pale. He put her down on her feet, and she stumbled a few feet away, leaning over. Preston ran over, and heard her gagging. He pulled her dark brown hair back, making sure all the strands were out of her face as she vomited on the side of the road. “God, my head won’t stop spinning,” she said after she caught her breath.

“Do you have water with you?” he asked, trying to go through her pack while also comforting her.

“I, ugh, should,” she groaned. She felt another wave of nausea sweeping over her. Preston nodded, trying to search her pack as fast as he could. He found the can, opening it quickly.

“Alright, here. Drink some water,” he said, bringing the can to her lips. She gulped it down. “Better?”

“Mhmm,” she said while nodding.

“Take your time,” he said, looking around for any straggling raiders. He didn’t hear anything, or notice anything out of the ordinary, so he turned his attention back to the woman he was holding up. She groaned again, and he smoothed her hair as best he could. Dogmeat walked over and sat down at their feet. Preston felt her deep breathing against his chest, and he rested his chin on her head. She was going to be okay, she was going to recover. And he was going to be there for her every step of the way. She pulled back, taking another sip of water.

“Okay, I think I’m good for now,” she said, pulling the can away from her lips.

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Just don’t carry me like that,” she said, looking up to him. His brown eyes fell to her face, her perfectly freckled face. Even bloodshot, her green eyes were shining up at him. He felt butterflies in his chest, his heartbeat increasing like it did every time she gazed at him.

“Can you walk?”

“I’ll try.”

“Alright, come on,” he said, and he started walking back towards the Castle. He carried his musket in one hand, his other arm draped across her shoulders. He held her close as they walked, taking each step carefully and slowly.

“You think you’ll forgive me for not listening to you?”

The corners of his lips turned up. She had a knack for making him smile, even in the worst of times. “I’ll let this one slide, babe.”

“Good. I don’t ever want you mad at me,” she huffed. He tightened the grip on her shoulders for a moment.

“I’m not so sure you’ll ever have to worry about that,” he said. They were getting close to the Castle now, and he took a deep breath. She’ll get the medical attention she needed in just a few minutes.

“What about that time I tried to sneak past a group of ferals after you told me not to?” Preston let out a laugh, but it quickly ended as she stumbled beside him. “Shit,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Almost there, babe,” he assured her. He got an idea, moving to stand in front of her. “Hop on,” he said. She carefully climbed on his back, a move that would have been better as a jump. He compensated as much as he could, his arms behind him pulling her up. Once she was situated on him, he walked the rest of the way back at his normal pace. “You’re frustrating sometimes, but I wouldn’t change a thing about you, Alie,” he said, regarding her earlier question. He heard her exhale, and she turned her head towards the now-irradiated harbor.

“This used to be so beautiful,” she said quietly. Her grip on him loosened slightly, and he held onto her legs tighter. His steps gained speed, and so did his heart rate. He wished it were for a better reason.

“You can tell me all about what it was like before as soon as we get back, okay?” His words were quick, desperate. His brain cursed itself for thinking she was in the clear. Her eternal optimism was one of her better qualities, but Preston found himself panicking; she was downplaying how hurt she was, and he didn’t do more to help. “Shit, why didn’t I give you a stimpack?” he asked himself under his breath. His quick walking turned into a jog, careful not to move her around too much. He wasn’t going to lose her now, not with the Castle literally in his sights. She mumbled something, and he felt her head lower into his shoulder. There were a few Minutemen posted along the perimeter, and they immediately ran towards him. “Go get a doctor. Now,” Preston ordered. One man took off in a full spring back towards the fort, while the woman took Alie’s pack from Preston.

“Told you… that we needed… a doc… here.” Preston felt Alie’s slurred words against his jacket.

“Guess we’re even then, babe,” he whispered. Preston looked up to see the resident doctor running towards them. In a blur, he was handing Alie to another man, who hurried off with her while the doctor inserted a stimpack into her arm.

“Preston, they’ll take care of her,” a Minuteman offered. Preston felt his hand on his shoulder, but he didn’t look at him. “You have blood on your coat,” he noticed. He looked down, noticing there was indeed a patch of blood on his tan coat. Looking back up, the small crowd of people fussing over her were out of his sight. He took a deep breath, and nodded at the man at his side.

“Thanks,” he said. Preston stood outside the entrance to the Castle for a few minutes, looking out at the endless water beside him. He made his way over to the small beach, planting himself down on the grass. The water moved, small waves washing up on the small patch of sand beneath him. He sighed gently, trying to comprehend what had just happened. He thought about her smile as she turned to leave earlier that day, thought about the sway in her hips she had when she knew he was watching. He felt guilt; a rush of pain that filled his chest when he thought about watching her leave. He couldn’t spare an hour to help her? Would it have even made a difference?

Preston sat watching the water for an hour, wondering about nothing and everything at the same time. He suddenly heard his name being called, and he turned his head towards the voice. “The General needs some medicine or something but her dog won’t let anyone near her. Think you can help?”

He practically jumped up, not saying a word as he jogged into the castle. He followed Dogmeat’s growling to a room on one of the corners of the fort. There were a few people standing around the door, all murmuring. They turned around when they heard him approach. “She needs to drink water, and give her some aspirin. Not much I can do for a concussion other than waiting it out, really,” the doctor informed him.

“Concussion?”

“More than likely. Hit her head pretty hard, judging by the bruise. Explains the nausea, too.”

“Thanks, Doctor. I really appreciate it,” Preston said. He felt some of the tension leaving his body. She was fine, she was going to be okay. And he knew it to be true this time, didn’t have a doubt in his mind. Preston grabbed the bottle of pills from the doctor, as well as two cans of purified water. He opened the door slowly. “Hey, boy. Just me,” he said to the canine. Dogmeat stopped growling immediately. He shut the door behind him, then turned to look at her.

She was on her side in bed, a thin blanket draped over her lower half. Someone had fixed her hair, as it was now in a ponytail behind her head. He started to walk over to her, and Dogmeat let out a whine. Dogmeat was laying behind her, his head resting on her hip. The dog’s eyes followed Preston as he quietly walked over. Alie stirred as Preston got closer. “Babe, it’s just me,” he whispered. Her lips curled up slightly, and his heart started to race. Good reason this time.

“Mmm, hi,” she said, voice ridden with sleep. He knelt beside the bed, gently grasping one of her hands in his.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better,” she said, opening her eyes. They weren’t as red as they were before, and Preston sucked in a breath. He wasn’t sure he’d seen more beautiful eyes in his life. He brought her hand to his lips, gently kissing her knuckles. “You know, they used to have movies like this,” she whispered. He chuckled.

“About people getting concussions?”

“About someone getting hurt or sick and then a hot nurse comes and takes care of them…” her voice trailed off. His cheeks grew pink, and he smiled into her hand. “I think you know what comes next,” she said. Her voice was suggestive, but tired. Preston laughed.

“Maybe we’ll explore that scenario when you’re a little more healthy,” he offered. He let go of her hand, and opened the bottle of pills.

“That a promise, Garvey?”

“Sure,” he said through his smile. “And the sooner you get healthy, the sooner we can try that out. So here.”

“Hm?”

“Drink some water, take two of these. It’ll help.” She sat up slowly, his eyes watching her closely. Dogmeat adjusted his head, his eyes also watching her closely.

“Thank you, Preston,” she said as he placed the two pills in her hand. She placed them in her mouth slowly, and he immediately pushed the water towards her. She took the can, brought it to her lips. She gulped down quite a bit of water.

“You’re welcome, babe.”

“If I promise not to try the sexy nurse thing on you again, will you stay?” He laughed again, amazed at how she could be sitting here in so much pain, but still making him smile.

“Of course I will. But I know you’re going to try it again,” he said, watching her lay back down. She chuckled, closing her eyes as she laid completely down.

“Maybe,” she said. He took off his hat and shoes, and he crawled into the bed with her as best he could. A single bed was almost too small for just him, but now, with two people and a large dog, it was tough staying on the mattress. But Preston would deal with almost falling off a mattress to make sure she felt safe. He kissed her head as she curled up against him, Dogmeat sighing as he put his head back on her hip, watching the door. He settled into the bed, uncomfortable as his leg hung over the side. Yet, he never felt more comfortable in his life. He would lie here, completely uncomfortable, if only to make her feel better. So, in the bed that was too small for all of them, they laid there together. And he would hold her close for as long as she would let him.


End file.
